BANGLADESH

BNP chief Khaleda Zia on Monday reiterated her party's stance of not taking part in any national elections under a government led by a political party.

She threatened that the incumbents would be unseated by mass uprising if the caretaker government was not reinstated, during her brief address before setting off for a mass procession in Dhaka.

Beginning around 4.15pm from the party's headquarter in Naya Paltan, the procession covered Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh and Mouchak before finishing at Moghbazar at around 5pm. Khaleda, who was in a car at the middle of the procession, reached around 6.15pm.

"There is still some time left. Reinstate the caretaker government, or else the people will take you down in uprising," Khaleda Zia said in her address.

She called on the people to make BNP's Dhaka grand rally on Mar 12 a success.

"On Mar 12 the people of the nation will be in Dhaka. From that rally I will announce important programmes," Khaleda said.

The BNP Chairperson said there would be 'three times as many people' at the grand rally. "So pick where you will run while there's still time," she added.

Khaleda called on those 'in the Awami League who loved the country' to join her 'Dhaka Chalo' march on Mar 12, saying, "Save your country and save yourselves."

She had earlier declared plans to hold this countrywide public procession on Jan 29. But the programme was postponed for a day after Dhaka metropolitan unit of Awami League also called for a rally the same day and the police imposed Section 144, banning all gatherings in the capital on Sunday apprehending law and order crisis.

The opposition party's processions in other metropolitan cities, including Chittagong, Rajshahi and Barisal, were also postponed after the police there imposed similar restrictions.

Khaleda blamed the government for Sunday's four deaths in clashes between the police and opposition protesters. She said there would be protest programmes in every district on Tuesday and prayers at every mosque on Feb 3.

'HASINA LIES'

Khaleda said prime minister Sheikh Hasina had lied about BNP's association with the failed military coup-d'etat. "BNP does not believe in politics of deadline. It was Awami League who had given us a deadline, saying they had a trump card. Their trump card was to bring a military-backed illegal government to power," she said.

"It was Awami League who was behind all the military coup in the country, not BNP," she asserted.

"We believe in people's coup, not military coup," she said.

The former prime minister said the government was scared of the people and hence 'the firing on people'. "They did nothing but loot and plunder in the last three years. They did nothing for the people," Khaleda claimed.


PROCESSION AFTER PROCESSION

Metropolitan BNP member-secretary Abdus Salam said that despite various 'hurdles', the party and members of its associate organisations from all wards in the capital joined the procession.

Police stopped traffic on one side of Naya Paltan road from around noon on Monday after BNP activists started gathering at the venue.

Within an hour, the stretch between Nightingale Restaurant intersection and Fakirapul's AGB Colony road was filled with activists dressed in bright colours, especially green, and carrying festoons and effigies of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, his wife and party chief Khaleda, and their son and BNP senior vice-president Tarique Rahman.

Members of the four-party opposition coalition and other like-minded parties also participated in the procession.

Though Khaleda herself was on a car, many senior leaders walked or went on trucks.

Khaleda promised better governance once her party returned to power.

"We will listen to everyone's advice to run the country. There will be employment for the youth, rejuvenation of the broken ties with the Muslim world. We will not let the country be servile to others," she said.

SECURITY MEASURES

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) reportedly deployed an additional 5,000 law enforcers in the capital, equipped with water canons and riot cars to tackle any untoward incident sparked by the mass procession.

A large number of police officials have been deployed along the procession route at Naya Paltan, Khilgaon, Matijheel, Bijoy Nagar, Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Moghbazar. Additional police members were placed in front of the BNP headquarters since 8:30am on Monday.

Additional deputy police commissioner Mehedi Hasan told that the police have taken all necessary preparations to ensure security.